Many of the items
that are going to be mentioned and discussed below are featured in greater detail in Troy
Taylor's Ghost Hunter's
Guidebook, especially the electronic devices. This section of the handbook features
usage directions and special hints and tips for all of the models. For information on how
to purchase EMF detection meters, thermal scanners and other devices used in ghost
hunting, see our Ghost
Detector Shop.

The ghost hunter of today can be more prepared than ever with a wide array of affordable
devices that have been adapted for use in paranormal research. The items that we will be
discussing here are not the most complex or the most sensitive that exist, but they do
fall into the range of devices that are affordable to the average person. The items in
this "essential tool kit" can be purchased by anyone but all equipment takes
practice and knowledge about how to use them. Never (and I can't stress this enough)
go out on an investigation if you do not know how to
properly use your equipment!Also, don't ignore the basic items on this list in an attempt
to get more technical. Ghosts hunters operated for many years, and got good results, using
nothing more than basic items, good instincts and a camera.

BASIC ITEMSHere are some things
that you should never be without while conducting an investigation. You never know when
they might be needed and many will compliment other items that we will soon discuss. I
also recommend buying a large tool bag to carry everything in. Here are some of the basic items:

ELECTRO-MAGNETIC
FIELD METERS This is the most common device used by
ghost hunters today and is considered to be the most reliable. Electronic devices have
been adapted to ghost hunting as a way to give confirmation of our instincts in the field.
Researchers believe that ghosts, and paranormal energy, are electro-magnetic in origin.
The energy that a ghost gives off, whether it be a conscious spirit or a residual image,
causes a disruption in a location's magnetic field and thus, becomes detectable using
measuring devices.Now, we should also add that the equipment can also be influenced by things that aren't
supernatural. You have to learn what the readings on the equipment mean and which readings
are caused by natural sources.... and which are the real thing. It takes practice to use
these devices and I stress again.... never go out on an investigation of you don't know how to use
and read your equipment properly!The Ghost Hunter's Guidebookfeatures a
complete section on the use of EMF detection equipment (as well as other
forms of equipment) and also has a detailed section of instructions on how
to use various meters.

TEMPERATURE SENSING EQUIPMENTWhen recommending
equipment to any ghost hunter, I always suggest the inclusion of a
temperature sensing device in their research tool kit. For a number of
years, I have suggested the use of Infrared Non-Contact Thermometers for
tracking down paranormal presences. These meters take instant temperature
readings form a location and detect any changes that might be sudden or
extreme. To state it simply, they pick up “cold spots” (unexplained
temperature variances) that are believed to signal that a ghost is present.
It is thought that a ghost uses the energy in a particular spot to manifest
itself and by doing so, creates a cold mass.

The
measuring of temperature is essential to any investigation and I always
include a device like an IR Thermometer as an important tool for researcher
to utilize. Through experimentation and further research though, some
problems have arisen that seem to show that IR Probes, while still useful,
might best be served as back-up tool for measuring temperature changes
rather than as the main piece of equipment.

IR Thermometers
are an excellent tool and they are very accurate when used as intended. The
devices were designed so that they can measure the surface temperature of an
object. The problem comes however, when they are used to try and measure the
ambient temperature of a location. Many ghost hunters (myself included) have
been guilty of trying to do this, believing that the devices could sample
the air temperature. I believed that the infrared beam of the device,
because of its optic spread, could give me an accurate reading but I have
since learned this was incorrect.

The type of temperatures that we
are looking for changes in during an investigation is the ambient
(surrounding area) temperature of the location and this is one of the most
important areas to monitor. Because of this,
we may be wasting a lot of our time with unnecessary work caused by the use
of IR probes.

Ambient
temperature (which cannot be picked up with an IR Thermometer) is basically
the temperature of the surrounding air. We are aware of this in our daily
lives, from the heat or cold outside and even from the weather forecast on
the evening news. When a witness or researcher speaks of feeling a “cold
spot” in a reportedly haunted place, it is in the ambient temperature of the
location. This is where we need to focus our efforts when looking for
temperature changes and abnormalities.

The best device
to measure rapid changes in the ambient temperature is a thermocouple based
temperature measurement device. These devices are affordable and can be
purchased from many electronic supply companies. Most of them have a
measuring unit of less than three centimeters, which is capable of measuring
the rapid changes to the temperature needed when looking for cold spots. It
is also feasible that a moving cold spot could be tracked with such a tool
since it can react so quickly.

So should we stop
using our IR thermal probe meter? No, definitely not… while I have come to
believe that a thermocouple device can offer more legitimate readings from
within a more confined space, I also do not believe that this type of meter
makes the IR Thermometer obsolete. When an IR Thermometer is used in
conjunction with a thermocouple unit, it can actually compliment your
investigation, rather than be the focus of it. When both devices are used
together, it can offer some very compelling evidence. If a thermocouple unit
picks up a strong temperature drop in the ambient temperature, the IR
Thermometer could be used to track the location and the degree of the
temperature drop. When offered together, you now have two different devices
that have measured the same drop in temperature. This would be significant
data and it would be very difficult to discount by anyone trying to debunk
your investigation.

OTHER EQUIPMENTI have also included a
couple of devices that have been around for many years. Now, I cannot guarantee the
validity of these devices but I have gathered information from other ghost hunters who
claim to have used them to some success.

Compass: For those who cannot afford the electronic devices,
the compass can be purchased in any sporting goods department in your area. It is believed
that carrying one of these devices into a haunted location will direct you to the ghost or
energy field and then spin while the field is present.

Dowsing Rods: Here is another device that has been around for
many years and is used to detect underground water sources. No one knows how it works, but
it does. Dowsing rods are usually constructed of brass and are bent into an L-shape. By
holding them loosely in each hand, they can point the way towards water. Genealogists also
use them to discover unmarked graves in cemeteries and they have also been used to
determine the sex of an unborn baby.In ghost hunting, the short ends of the rods are held loosely in each hand and they are
said to sway in the direction of an energy field, pointing the way to it. When the ghost
is discovered, they are said to cross.

This is not the end of the equipment,
or the electronic devices that you can buy either. I will suggest a few more that you
might consider adding to your list as finances allow. For those who are
electronically-inclined, you might consider building some of your own equipment.Here are some other things that you might consider investing in: